Page 10 - Print 21 Magazine Sep-Oct 2018

The Leading Article
Investment is the
lifeblood of business
There is no more important decision than what and when
to invest in your business. It’s the decisive factor that you can put off but not indefinitely. Delaying investment for too long is making a decision by default with all the downside that implies. It goes without saying there is an optimum time to invest as well as an optimum amount in order to get the best returns, the hackneyed ROI.
But investment is too often considered as a single event, a one-off cash down payment. It’s much more than that. An investment culture drives a business;
it forces change, shapes dynamics and clarifies goals. Continuously investing in your people, in software and training is a normal part of the operations of every progressive business. More difficult
are the larger decisions, as to whether
to buy a new press, move to bigger or more suitable premises, even acquire
a competitor’s business in order to
grow your own. These are life-changing moments but I would argue they are less important than your attitude to ongoing investment and change.
Change is disruptive unless it’s integrated as part of corporate culture. A business where continuous improvement is the norm has nothing to fear from introducing new
technology or systems. People accustomed to integrating the latest technology into their workplace, of exploring new ways
of attaining goals accept disruption as a normal part of life. When approached with the right attitude it inevitably energises the whole enterprise.
“A business where continuous improvement is the norm has nothing to fear from introducing new technology or systems.”
Here at Yaffa Media we’re part way through a refresh and transformative project where whole floors of a five-story building have been gutted. Journalists, artists,
sales people and IT professionals along
with publishing management have all had
to adapt to new conditions. That the new spaces are brighter, cleaner and more people friendly makes it easier. That we’re now all working with desks that lift to chest height to alleviate sit-down syndrome is a bonus. That the investment was made at all is an
affirmation of the publisher's confidence in future of the business and in magazine publishing generally. This rubs off on everyone working in the enterprise.
On a different scale PMP, the largest printing company in the region, has flagged a $20 million investment in a new manroland Lithoman press for its Sydney operations. It’s one of a number of large multi-million dollar web presses that
have gone in in recent time. Bluestar and Franklin Web have also upgraded their press fleets. It bespeaks a lot of confidence in the catalogue business, the heatset printing sector and printing in general.
Sometimes it seems as if every other press release that comes across my desk is about another printer buying new hardware, installing new production software or merging with a rival.
The result is a picture of a confident, bustling industry, constantly investing in its own future.
And there’s no clearer indication of the sustainable health of printing than that. 21
Patrick Howard
–Publishing Editor
PUBLISHING EDITOR:
Patrick Howard phoward@ print21.com.au
EDITOR:
Wayne Robinson waynerobinson@yaffa.com.au
INDUSTRIAL PRINT & LABELS:
Jake Nelson jake@print21.com.au
PUBLISHER:
Lindy Hughson lindyhughson@yaffa.com.au
CONTRIBUTORS: Andy McCourt,
Andrew Macaulay, Ruth Cobb, Andy Yarrow
PROMOTIONS & ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: Doris Prodanovic doris@print21.com.au
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Luke Buckley (02) 9213 8216 lukebuckley@yaffa.com.au
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Matthew Gunn
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Print21 is a Yaffa Media publication, Copyright 2018. Print21 is the official publication of the Printing Industries Association of Australia. (Printing Industries). The magazine is published
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professionals in the
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PRINTING INDUSTRIES: National Office, 3/9 Help Street, Chatswood NSW 2067. Phone Toll Free: 1800 227 425
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10 Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018